As a form of severe spondyloarthritis (SpA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) develops in the late teens to early twenties and exhibits symptoms, such as typical spondylosis, in the thirties to forties and is considered as a chronic progressive systemic disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and spine and invasion into the peripheral joints, eyes, heart, or intestine. Although the prevalence rate of spondyloarthritis varies by country, the rate is generally 1 to 2%, and spondyloarthritis has adverse socioeconomic effects on patients and society due to restricted patient mobility.
Although the causes of ankylosing spondylitis are not yet clearly understood, it is assumed that genetic abnormalities, infections, and inflammatory responses may be involved in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis, similar to the case of systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. It is thought that HLA-B27, a histocompatibility antigen gene, is genetically involved in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis, and a recent study also showed the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) and interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) genes in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis. Pain associated with ankylosing spondylitis starts slowly in the waist and sacrum, and arthritis intermittently occurs in the knees, ankles, and so forth in some cases. Since symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis are ambiguous and aggravation and relief of the symptoms occur repeatedly, ankylosing spondylitis is difficult to distinguish from general lower back pain or unspecific arthralgia. According to a study in Europe, average time from appearance of spondyloarthritis symptoms to diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is about 10 years. Accordingly, patients visit medical specialists after ankylosing spondylitis has somewhat advanced, but by that time, the patients often have missed the point of initial treatment for the disease.
On the basis of newly accumulated knowledge about progression and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, early treatment has recently been revealed to be effective in suppressing disease progression, and thus early diagnosis and prediction of the onset of the disease have emerged as important issues. Accordingly, prediction of the onset of ankylosing spondylitis has become a subject of major research projects, and thus research on the subject, e.g., Korea Patent Application Publication No. 10-2008-0072643, has been conducted. However, there is much more to be investigated. As a form of severe spondyloarthritis (SpA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) develops in the late teens to early twenties and exhibits symptoms, such as typical spondylosis, in the thirties to forties, and is considered as a chronic progressive systemic disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and spine and invasion into the peripheral joints, eyes, heart, or intestine. Although the prevalence rate of spondyloarthritis varies by country, the rate is generally 1 to 2%, and spondyloarthritis has adverse socioeconomic effects on patients and society due to restricted patient mobility.
Although the causes of ankylosing spondylitis are not yet clearly understood, it is assumed that genetic abnormalities, infections, and inflammatory responses may be involved in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis, similar to the case of systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. It is thought that HLA-B27, a histocompatibility antigen gene, is genetically involved in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis, and a recent study also showed the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) and interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) genes in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis. Pain associated with ankylosing spondylitis starts slowly in the waist and sacrum, and arthritis intermittently occurs in the knees, ankles, and so forth in some cases. Since symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis are ambiguous and aggravation and relief of the symptoms occur repeatedly, ankylosing spondylitis is difficult to distinguish from general lower back pain or unspecific arthralgia. According to a study in Europe, average time from appearance of spondyloarthritis symptoms to diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is about 10 years. Accordingly, patients visit medical specialists after ankylosing spondylitis has somewhat advanced, but by that time, the patients often have missed the point of initial treatment for the disease.
On the basis of newly accumulated knowledge about progression and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, early treatment has recently been revealed to be effective in suppressing disease progression, and thus early diagnosis and prediction of the onset of disease have emerged as important issues. Accordingly, prediction of the onset of ankylosing spondylitis has become a subject of major research projects, and thus research on the subject, e.g., Korea Patent Application Publication No. 10-2008-0072643, has been conducted. However, there is much more to be investigated.